Review: Green Mars

REDWORLDER RATING: 8.7/10

OVERVIEW:

The sequel to Red Mars, Green Mars is the story of Martian colonists working toward various (often competing) personal missions for the planet. The overarching conflicts include life-or-death struggles for control of the planet's resources, the terraforming effort (which is now very much in full swing), and experimenting with directions to take the planet economically and politically.

CONCLUSION:

Part of a true must-read trilogy for anyone who has any interest in Mars (make sure to do so after Red Mars). I also recommend it for it's idea sharing, it's literary attention to color and the beauty of the planet, and for some of its most endearing characters (my personal favorite being Michel Duval, the French-Martian trained psychologist). Nirgal, Nadia, Art, and Sax are very endearing in my opinion as well, and even the less endearing characters like Anne and Maya are damn fascinating to watch as they shape the future of the planet. 

MUSINGS:

I'm going to try something new with the book reviews here. Originally, I tried an overview, pros, cons, and a final word. This time, and maybe from now on, I'm going to try a much shorter overview and conclusion, followed by this kind of peak at the world or investigation into one of my favorite ideas of the book. For instance, with this trilogy, Robinson's use of color amazes me. He doesn't just use color for the titles in order to symbolize the progression of Martian terraformation (or "areoformation" as some in the book prefer to imagine). Color is used extensively throughout the books by his characters to get across distinct perspectives (literal perception of the environment, and psychological filters) when they look at Mars.

In Red Mars, and continuing with more urgency into Green Mars, is the question over whether Mars should retain its primal monochromatic beauty (the position of the faction known as Reds), or whether bringing to life a desert planet ultimately provides the greater meaning (people who take this position, or are just generally not with the Reds, are sometimes known collectively as "greens". Pointedly lowercase, as opposed to Reds, as they aren't a single faction so much as a host of different groups with very different priorities).

For a character like Anne, red is a color devoid of the pain and remorseless quality of life, while Hiroko sees the greening quality of the universe as the essence of purpose and beauty. In Green Mars, it's becoming increasingly apparent that the Red cause to maintain or return the planet to a pre-arrival state is lost. What's more, in spite of the explosive attempts at an uprising against the Earth-based metanationals in 2061, the revolution's goal was ultimately a total failure. The surviving colonists now either live under the wary eye of the returned and entrenched metanationals, or they've been in hiding in the Martian outback for years.

The newest generation, true natives of Mars, are coming into their own in this environment and beginning to determine for themselves what kind of world they want to see. The best of this new generation is Nirgal. Born in hiding, where a handful of the first colonists have formed a polar sanctuary under the southern ice. Nirgal tends to see things differently, demonstrating remarkable understanding and abilities, along with an equally remarkable approach-ability and humanity. Like Hiroko, Nirgal can easily see the defiant "green" force ("Viriditas" as Hiroko names it) fighting tirelessly to add more complexity to the universe. He can also appreciate the passive power of the "red" force that Anne loves (the only force she trusts), waiting out the green, seemingly unaware of the frantic tide of life. He can see the ordering tendency which he thinks of as white simultaneously resisting the chaos of the green, while helping it to gain purchase over the unhelpful red. The colors are useful symbols of these forces that pervade the actions and motivations of every character.

How much each character is willing to compromise their dedication to the purity of one "color" or another is an expression of the deeper conflict. How much change be allowed before what exists evolves so much that it's effectively dying to give way to what could be? Is the essence of Mars, and what it means to be a Martian, changing or dying? Or is it really coming into being for the first time?

How much order can be allowed to cut back on the complexity? Does too much "balance" represent an oppression that defeats the purpose of life? How can extremists with mutually exclusive goals overcome a common threat or oppression when the outcome of their victory will set a course in one direction or another?

These are the sort of questions that arise in Green Mars within the context of a changing planet and a second attempt at revolution (this time carefully organized by the old timers, and energized by the native generations). It's enthralling to see the events of change, and the balance that begins (with great difficulty) to take shape between the forces as people attempt to remake (or maintain) the status quo of the Red Planet.

I highly recommend it (after reading Red Mars). Amazon link below:
http://www.amazon.com/Green-Mars-Trilogy-Book/dp/0553572393